The Blindfold is available in Braille and in large print upon request. To go green, and receive yours by email please send an email to
vision@blindandlowvision.org and put Blindfold in the subject line.
For information or if you have a vehicle in good running order that you would like to donate, call Russ at 595-1871 or the BVIC at 649-3505.
When: June 6, 2009, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Where: Salinas Adult School
Presented by the Area Agency on Aging, Health Project Center and the Salinas Adult School Creative Learning Program. Workshops will be presented by local experts in English and Spanish. They will include subjects such as managing dementia, caregiver stress management, fall prevention, home safety, understanding Medicare, Medi-cal and long term care insurance. Resource tables, exhibits, books, and literature will be available. Look for the BVIC's table, Jacquie Johnson, Support Services/Case Management, will be available to answer your questions.
Many have wondered how we are faring during these trying economic times. The BVIC like everyone has been affected by the wavering economy. We have seen a dramatic decline in donations. Grant eligibility requirements and funding are more restricted as well as there is more competition for fewer funds. However, we do have the loyalty of many who continue to support our programs and organization. Our budget committee vigilantly oversees our financial matters with the support of Rolf Trautsch and Associates.
We are seeing that people are much more aware of how their dollars are spent and that many donors need to know that their contributions are helping individuals directly. We can assure everyone that the BVIC will always hold direct and personal services to our local community of Monterey County as our highest priority.
We have been extremely fortunate to have constant stability since we began offering services back in 1971 and are confident the valuable resources we offer to Monterey County residents will remain available to those in need. We so appreciate your continuing support and giving to the BVIC.
Yes, there is a way to help out the BVIC without spending any extra money simply by shopping for your groceries at Save Mart, S-Mart Foods, Lucky or FoodMaxx.
We are participating in the S.H.A.R.E.S. program through Save Mart Supermarkets and S-Mart Foods. Each time you shop and swipe your S.H.A.R.E.S. card the BVIC will receive 3% of qualified purchases. Call the BVIC to get your free S.H.A.R.E.S. card.
For the first time in history a U.S. coin will feature readable Braille and commemorate the 200th birthday, life and legacy of Louis Braille. The obverse of the coin bears a likeness of Louis Braille and the reverse shows a child reading Braille. On the reverse is the word Braille, BRL in Braille code across the top of the coin. The word INDEPENDENCE is featured on a bookshelf behind the child. And another distinguishing feature of the silver dollar is the size and reeded edge. The coin can be purchased online at http://www.usmint.gov/index.cfm?flash=yes or by calling 1-800-872-6468. The proof silver dollar costs $41.95 and the uncirculated silver dollar costs $39.95. A surcharge of $10.00 per coin is authorized to be paid to The National Federation of the Blind to support its programs to promote Braille literacy.
by Dr. Feelgood
How about entertainment that does not require good vision? How about RADIO? Imagine yourself sitting in a studio while the actors perform an old-time radio show with music and sound effects. This experience can be yours on May 30th and 31st as Play It By Ear Productions presents Dashiell Hammett’s classic mystery, “The Maltese Falcon” at The Works Café & Bookstore in Pacific Grove. Play It By Ear is in its third year of presenting old-time radio locally. Performances will be at The Works, 667 Lighthouse Avenue (right across from the post office), Saturday, May 30th, at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 31st, at 6:00 p.m. So come on down, it’s only five bucks (a fin), tickets available at the door. Our own Steve Kane (BVIC’s newest Board Member) will be starring as Sam Spade.
(courtesy of Monterey County Health Department)
For each one of us, planning for emergencies is a unique process as we all have different physical and emotional needs. Disasters and emergencies can create special challenges for seniors. You might not be quite as agile as you used to be; you might use a cane or wheelchair; or you might have vision or hearing difficulties. No matter what
your personal challenges are you can take simple steps to be better prepared for emergencies.
Do you have a disaster kit?
What do you need to be self sufficient for 72 hours? How could an emergency affect your individual needs?
• First-aid kit
• Battery-powered radio and flashlight with extra batteries for each
• Change of clothing, rain gear, & sturdy shoes
• Blanket or sleeping bag
• Extra set of keys, Whistle
• Cash and change
• Wrench to turn off utilities
• Personal hygiene supplies
• Phone numbers of local and non-local contact
• Prescription medicines, list of medications and dosages, list of allergies
• Extra eyeglasses and/or hearing-aid batteries
• List of the style and serial numbers of medical devices, such as pacemakers
• Medical insurance and Medicare cards
• List of doctors, relatives or friends to notify
Also - Plan for at least 3 days
• One gallon of water per person per day.
Store water in sealed, unbreakable containers that you are able to handle.
• Non-perishable food supply (including any special foods you require).
Choose foods that are easy to store & carry, nutritious & ready-to-eat. Rotate them regularly.
• Manual can opener you are able to use
• Non-perishable food for any pets
Meet Ken Kraska
It is such a privilege to become a part of the professional and caring team at BVIC, and especially gratifying to work with the wonderful folks we serve every day. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Ken Kraska; I coordinate our low vision services at the
Center. I can assist you in selecting the most helpful low vision aids and provide training in their use either at the clinic or at your home.
I have extensive experience teaching and working with adults and children with visual and other impairments. My training includes a Masters degree from the Blind & Low Vision Studies department at Western Michigan University, and a Masters in Psychology from the University of West Georgia. I came to the Blind & Visually Impaired Center from Oregon, where I most recently served as Adjunct Faculty in Psychology at Northwest Christian University and coordinated ADA Info-Oregon, providing information and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act.
My wife, Claire, and I moved to the Monterey Bay to be closer to family and for the sun and surf-- I understand why so many people I meet here have lived in the area for a long time. Current hobbies include making mix CDs from my record collection and taking walks on the beach, as well as beginning yoga. I may eventually take up surfing or, more likely, kite flying.
At the Center, we are modestly adding to our already comprehensive selection of assistive technology by introducing a few new portable video magnifiers, which are both compact and affordable. These are the Golden Eye/Color Eye, another is the MonoMouse, which are pictured below.
Color Eye
MonoMouse
Golden Eye
I have found in working with people with low vision and other impairments that while adjusting to loss is difficult, at the same time there are tools, methods and support systems available for adapting and using one’s remaining visual or other senses for a truly productive and rewarding life. We are here for you when you are ready—come check out the different ways you can meet daily challenges and optimize your independence. Please call for an appointment.
Glare Control as an O&M Tool
Light adaptation - the ability of the eye to adjust normally to lighter and darker surroundings - is problematic for many pedestrians who have low vision. Temporary complete blindness results and causes people to suddenly stop until the eyes finally adjust to the darker indoors or brighter outdoor setting. Some people find it difficult to walk down a tree-lined street on a sunny day because they have to walk intermittently between bright sunlight and shadow. Using a cane correctly to check the forward terrain can help one to move forward safely in this situation, but for many the right sunshields can enable the person to use his or her remaining vision effectively enough to walk through the changing conditions without a cane.
Others are so glare sensitive in most outdoor settings that finding sunshields dark enough to prevent glare yet light enough to enable the person to use his or her remaining vision is a challenge. Sometimes the solution is finding a lighter tint sunshield such as a yellow or an amber tint, and using a visor or hat with a brim in combination with the sunshields. For those who are also very glare sensitive indoors, using just the visor in the darker indoor setting may be enough. Or moving to an even lighter shade or tint sunshield just for indoor glare may be the solution. It isn’t necessary to pull all the shades and curtains for glare prevention if one has a good indoor sunshield for glare control.
Sometimes when I ask people if they have sunglasses, they show me the dark gray sunshields that were given to them after cataract surgery. They needed those for a few days, but after that they found the dark sunshields prevented them from seeing almost anything, so they don’t wear any sunshields outdoors. This may actually cause more damage to their eyes from ultraviolet radiation. Some people’s eyes cannot tolerate the light yellow or amber tints, but others are very surprised to find that even the very light yellow tints cut the glare coming into the eyes. Sometimes they also heighten contrast. This ability to see contrast again can help someone to recognize edges of steps and curbs, depending on the individual eye condition. Many are delighted to find that the correct tint and style of sunshield can help one see a little more detail than was possible without this glare protection.
During Orientation and Mobility instruction we encourage our students to use all their sensory faculties, including the functional vision they do have. Obtaining the right sunshield or sunshield combination with a visor, makes all the difference. A sunshield demonstration and evaluation should include the opportunity to try different tints, with and without side shields, on different days.
Many factors influence the impact of glare. The glare on a cloudy day may actually be worse for some people than on a clear day. Time of day also makes a big difference, depending on where the sun is in relation to the horizon. Noting what time of day in different seasons your vision is most effective, is also useful. Even the direction you are walking in is a factor to consider. Situational awareness is also important. If one stops to talk to someone and one has to face the brightest sunlight to do so, suggest to the other person that you both move slightly so that neither person is facing the sun. Sit with the window behind you, and don’t stand or sit in a room with many reflective surfaces, when glare is a real problem. When you have a choice, move to another setting. If one has to walk west towards the sun late in the day, take an extra darker sunshield or a visor one doesn’t usually wear, to cover the time walking west. Experiment with the use of visors and hats with brims until you find which ones are comfortable for you.
Some people need sunshields outdoors, but have no difficulty with most indoor glare. Sometimes people forget to take off the sunshields as they step inside, and then they again experience the temporary blindness alluded to earlier. Remembering to take the outdoor sunshields off as one enters a building is a simple but important safety tip. Likewise, remembering to put on the sunshields just before stepping outside may help one to avoid tripping over the front step or bumping into someone as one steps outside.
Buying a pair of sunglasses with UV protection, before having a chance to try them outdoors, can be a costly mistake. They may be too dark, too light, or too uncomfortable. At the low vision clinic people can be evaluated for sunshields. This evaluation can be begun before a person goes to the clinic if they are seeing the O&M specialist, or after the clinic visit if one pair of sunshields is only sufficient for certain types of lighting. Once one knows if one prefers a tint that is yellow, orange, plum, amber, green or gray; light, medium, or dark; polarized or not – coping with the distortions of glare can become manageable.
Orientation and Mobility is a field that endorses practical, common sense ideas for using and protecting one’s remaining vision, as well as learning new techniques to move safely and independently with little or no vision. Understanding the effectiveness of choosing the correct sunshields for you in moving confidently and safely is part of that. Go get yourself sunshields that work for you!
This month we are spotlighting the Monterey Peninsula College Adapted P.E. program.
A few facts about adaptive physical education by way of introduction: “The purpose of adapted physical education is to create safe and appropriate environments in which a person with a disability can learn physical education concepts and develop physical skills…it helps students maximize knowledge and abilities within the context of their individual circumstances.” (Calif. Community Colleges Adapted P.E. Handbook) It is taught through both group and individual activities, and always on a personalized basis. Adapted P.E. is not a substitute for physical, occupational, recreational or any other therapy. The focus is on education, not rehabilitation. Students often come to the program after they have been discharged from rehabilitation programs. They continue to work on improving their overall strength, flexibility, balance, endurance and motor skills.
MPC’s Adapted P.E. program serves students of all ages and disabilities, and has been going strong since the 1970’s. Instructor Mark Clements describes their enrollment policy as “open door,” and reports that they serve approximately 100 students per semester, with many students attending five days a week. The program works in consort with the Healthy People 2010 Project, a set of nation health objectives for the first half of the new century. Among the goals is to help individuals of all ages increase life expectancy and improve their quality of life, and to eliminate health disparities among different segments of the population and between people with and without disabilities.
MPC Adapted P.E. is housed in a facility apart from the main campus (in parking lot C), but is easily accessible. The open work-out area is large and well equipped. After receiving approval from their physicians to participate, students meet with Mark to develop an individual education/exercise plan. Students work independently on the equipment during the open lab period, and also attend small instructional groups. Program aides monitor pulse and blood pressure prior to exercise, and provide individual assistance as needed. The group includes young and old, ambulatory and non-ambulatory. During a recent visit, I observed an upbeat, positive environment (with lots of good humored banter between students and staff), and a strong sense of mutual support and camaraderie among the students. One student described the experience as “transformative.” Another said that she appreciated the fact that she was taught not only the “how” but the “why” of each exercise, and in language she could understand.
A banner hanging above the small group area seemed to reflect and sum up the program’s “can do” spirit. It reads: “People can alter their lives by altering their attitudes.” If you would like more information about MPC’s Adapted P.E. program, call 645-1349, or stop by for a visit. You will be glad you did.
by Sonja Jackson
Last month our BVIC Program Director Jeannie Cordero asked if I would like to participate in a storytelling interview with StoryCorps, a non-profit agency that travels around the continental U.S. and allows couples (husband/wife; partner/friend, etc.) to interview each other for about 40 minutes asking and answering questions about their interests and stories of their lives. It is aired on public radio, CD copy made for the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., as well as a copy for the participants. At first, my husband, J, and I were a little reticent as we have shared our stories many times with family, friends, and through our website The Butterfly Universe . We’ve both had interesting stories through our 39 years of marriage and partly because we now live in The Butterfly House in P.G. However, we decided to go ahead and went to their mobile unit at the Steinbeck Center in Salinas. They were particularly asking for people from the BVIC to share their stories. Since I am legally blind from retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and my husband is very attentive to my needs, we felt it should be shared.
This is a very professional studio, people who are competent and prepared. Although my husband and I have shared our stories in many ways, when we were sitting across from each other in that little studio, it became a very personal and emotional sharing for both of us. After 39 years together, telling the story of how we first met, our work, and eventually dealing with my progressive vision loss, brought tears to our eyes and voices. It was a loving, sharing time for us and although we thought 40 minutes would be too long, we realized it wasn’t long enough. We were invited to attend another session in the San Francisco area to finish or continue our story. We received our personal CD as we left the studio and played it again later that evening. Our tears came again when we heard some of our special moments. We would encourage anyone who would like to be a part of history in this way to contact StoryCorps at www.storycorps.net and all the info you need to participate is there.
Please call the BVIC if you can help.
